Constructional toy and apparatus for making the same

ABSTRACT

A construction toy comprises a multiplicity of straws, wherein at least some of the straws are joined together with a first straw extending through a second straw via a pair of transversely aligned holes in the second straw. Further, at least some straws are joined together longitudinally by an end of one straw extending tightly into an enlarged socket end of another straw. The invention includes a punch for punching the transverse holes in a straw, a cutter for cutting the straws to a desired length, and an expander for forming the enlarged socket in an end of a straw.

The present invention relates to a constructional toy or modelcomprising a multiplicity of straws joined together, to a method ofmaking the toy or model and to a constructional system or kit for makingmodels out of straws. It further provides a device for punchingtransverse holes in a straw.

A construction system for making models out of straws has previouslybeen sold under the trade name Construct-O-Straws. It comprised a set ofplastics straws and plastics joining parts formed with spigots whichfitted endwise into the straws to form junctions between them. Thejoining parts might have two spigots for forming a linear or comerjunction, three spigots for forming a T-junction or four or more spigotsfor forming more complex junctions. However, the comer parts werenoticeable and restricted the appearance of the models made and therange of models that could be made. Furthermore, if a user ran out ofjoining parts, or of parts of a particular kind, he then had to stop orto purchase an additional kit.

Another construction system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,469,339.Tubular members are provided with pre-cut holes each hole having itsaxis perpendicular to the hole at either side to enable the constructionof various models.

A construction element is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,222 andcomprises a flexible tube each end of which can receive a rod-likemember by pushfit. The flexible tube has a pair of pre-cut oppositelyfacing holes at its mid-point which can accommodate another flexibletube. Using the several such elements a user is able to construct avariety of joints to construct models from the rod-like members.

One problem with which ,the invention is concerned is to provide aconstructional toy, based on assembling straws together, in which theuser is not liable to run out of necessary parts for model making.

Another problem with which the invention is concerned is to provideconstructional toys or models based on straws in which the whole of acomplex model may, if the user so wishes, be formed from the straws.

A further problem with which the invention is concerned is to providesimple and effective apparatus for use in making toys or models asaforesaid.

In one aspect the invention provides a construction kit comprising amultiplicity of straws; characterized by

a punch for punching pairs of transversely aligned holes at arbitrarylocations through the straws;

the straws and punch permitting a model to be made in which at leastsome straws are joined together with a first straw extending through asecond straw via a pair of transversely aligned holes at an arbitrarylocation along the second straw, each of said holes being surrounded byportions of the second straw and the first straw fitting tightly withinthe holes in the second straw.

In a further aspect the invention provides a method for making a modelby joining straws together, including the steps of:

providing first and second straws;

punching the a first straw at an arbitrary position along the straw witha punch having substantially the same external diameter as the straw sothat the first straw becomes flattened and a pair of transverselyaligned holes are formed which are separated by undamaged regions of thestraw;

allowing the straw to recover its shape; and

passing a second straw through the pair-of holes in the first straw toform a joint in which there is frictional resistance to axial andangular relative movement between the first and second straws.

In a further aspect the invention provides a constructional system formaking models out of straws, including a punch for punching pairs oftransversely aligned holes through the straws, a cutter for cutting thestraws to length and an expander for expanding ends of straws intoreceiving sockets.

The invention also provides a set of tools for making models out ofstraws, including a punch for punching pairs of transversely alignedholes through the straws, a cutter for cutting the straws to length andan expander for expanding ends of straws into receiving sockets.

Other preferred aspects of the invention are defined in the accompanyingclaims to which attention is hereby directed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

How the invention may be put into effect will now be described withreference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a punch unit for formingpairs of transverse holes in a straw;

FIG. 2a and FIG. 2b are diagrammatic end views of the punch of FIG. 1showing successive stages in the cutting of transverse holes in a straw;

FIG. 3a and FIG. 3b are respectively a side and plan view of a straw inwhich holes have been cut using the punch unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a length and angle guide for use with apunch as shown in FIG. 1 and with a movable shuttle for longitudinal andangular positioning of a straw in which holes are to be cut,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a punch tool which can be hand held orused with the length and angle guide of FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is a transverse section of the shuttle and of the length andangle guide and

FIG. 7 is a view of the punch, part of the length and angle guide andpart of the shuttle during punching of the first hole in a straw;

FIG. 8 is a view of punched straws and other toy or model componentsbeing assembled together;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a cutting tool and part of an associatedlength guide, and

FIG. 10 is a view of the cutting tool separated from the length guideand in use for hand cutting of straws;

FIG. 11 is a side perspective view of a straw end stretching tool aboutto be inserted into an end of a straw,

FIG. 12 is a front perspective view of the stretching tool partlyinserted into an end of the straw and

FIG. 13 is a front view of jaws of the stretching tool after they havebeen forced apart to stretch the straw;

FIG. 14 is a front perspective view of a multi-function straw cutting,punching and expanding machine,

FIG. 15 is a rear view of the machine and

FIG. 16 is a detail view in the vicinity of the shuttle of the machine;

FIGS. 17(1)-17(6) are instructions for making a model swing from“bendy-straws” which can be made simply by punching the straws, cuttingthem to length and fastening them together using an assembly tool; and

FIGS. 18(1)-18(10) are instructions for making a model car from “bendystraws” involving the expansion of the ends of some of the componentsand the joining of them end-to-end.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The straws which are useful for making the present construction toys areplastics straws, preferably “bendy straws” (i.e. straws whichincorporate a corrugated bendable region) and preferably made ofpolypropylene. Suitable straws of 5 mm external diameter are availablefrom Unique Industries Inc of Philadelphia, USA and from Amscan Inc,also of the USA. For a limited range of models in which strength is lessimportant and end to end tube joins are not needed, paper straws couldbe used instead.

FIG. 1 shows a polypropylene straw 10 of 5 mm external diametersupported between the walls of entry guide 12, which have a similarspacing to the external diameter of the tube 10, and passing towards apunch 14 and a die 16. A flat support region or throat 18 surrounds thedie 16 and is 7.8 mm wide which is sufficient to allow a region of thetube adjacent the die 18 to become flattened during the punchingoperation. As handle 20 is depressed the punch 14 which is of 5 mmexternal diameter contacts the straw as shown in FIG. 2a and thentravels down and crushes the straw flat up to the full width of thethroat, after which the punch 14 bursts through the straw 10 and ejectstwo 5 mm diameter discs 19 into the barrel of the die as shown in FIG.2b. The handle 20 is released and spring-returns, permitting the strawto recover its circular shape. As seen in FIGS. 3a and 3 b, there isformed a pair of transversely opposed holes 22 in the straw 10 which areseparated by un-cut regions of the straw and are closed. The holes 22assume an elliptical shape in side view and provide the necessaryfrictional grip on a straw passed through them so that there is formed ajoint which may be “posed” in the sense that the axial and angularpositions of the joined components can be retained. We have found thatthe size of the hole punched through the straw is important to formingthe desired poseable joint with another straw of the same size, and thatthe best size for the hole cut is equal to the external diameter of thestraw. With the present size of straw, the range of tolerance is about±0.1 mm. If the hole size is too small, then it is difficult to pushanother straw through, and if it is too large, the friction grip of theresulting joint is too low for model making.

FIGS. 4-6 show in more detail a practical arrangement for the punch. Thepunch 14, die 16 and operating handle 20 are formed as a separate unit25 which is a removable fit onto a length and angle guide 27. At one endof the guide 27 there is formed an entry guide region 12 a which leadsto a recess 28 within which the punch unit 25 is removably retainablee.g. by a ball catch 30 which snaps into a recess (not shown) in theunit 25. At the outlet side of the recess 28 an elongate bed 31 isformed a T-shaped slideway 32 along which is formed a distance scale orrule 34. A shuttle 36 fits into and is movable along the slideway 32,its longitudinal position being indicated by a pointer 38. Within theshuttle 36 is a barrel 39 which is supported for bi-directional rotationas indicated by arrows 40 and which carries a post or handle 42. A straw10 with a first pair of the transverse holes 22 punched in it may bepushed onto the post 42 which fits into the holes. In this way thelongitudinal and angular position of the straw may be defined and may bemaintained during the punching of one or more further pairs of holesthrough the straw. The slideway 32 is formed with recesses at regularlyspaced intervals along its length and the outer surface of the barrel 39is also formed with recesses 43 which are engageable by a double dutyball indent 40 for indexing length and angle. In the embodiment shown,angle is in 45 degree steps, but other intervals are possible. After thepost has engaged into the holes 22, it may be rotated through twoindexed steps, for example, to bring it to the position shown in phantomand to permit a second pair of holes at a different position along thestraw to be punched at right angles to the first pair of holes.

The cutting of the first end hole using a second form of the shuttleassembly is shown in FIG. 7, the form of the shuttle being generally asshown in FIG. 16. The shuttle 36 a is moved along the slideway 32 a soas to bring the pointer 38 a into register with a minimum distance mark45. The end of the shuttle 36 a nearer the punch has on its rotatablebarrel part 39 a a rearwardly facing lug 46 which is located at its topin the position shown. A downwardly facing through-hole is formed in thelug 46, into which is insertable a pin 50 whose diameter equals theexternal diameter of a straw. In order to form a first pair of holes,the straw 10 is engaged into the entry guide 12 a and advanced until itcontacts the pin 50. The handle 20 is then depressed to punch the firsthole pair. The pin 50 is then removed, the first pair of holes 22 a isbrought into register with the hole in the flange 46, and the pin isreturned and engaged into the holes 22 a. The pin 50 then provideslocation for the straw 10, so that the distance to the next desired holecan be measured by sliding the shuttle along the distance scale orlength guide 34 a and reading off the required distance. Holes at thesame angular positions or at other angular positions (e.g. 45 or 90degrees apart) can be created by rotation of the barrel 39 a. In orderto facilitate obtaining of accurate results by a child user, the ballindent provides longitudinal and angular indexing as previouslydiscussed.

Methods of assembling straws together are shown in FIG. 8. A rod-likesolid plastics assembly tool 60 is slid into a pre-punched straw 62,after which a second pre-punched straw 64 may be pushed onto the firststraw 62 to establish the joint, and the assembly tool 60 can bewithdrawn. The assembly tool 60 provided the necessary rigidity to thestraw 62 during assembly, speeds up assembly of the joint and makesassembly easier for people of limited dexterity. Also shownin FIG. 8 isan accessory, in this case a wheel 66 which is free to rotate on a pin68 which is a push fit into an open end of a straw 70. The pin 68 can beused for mounting other accessories e.g. aeroplane propellers.

A requirement in model-making is to cut the straws to length. For thispurpose a guillotine-type cutter may be provided 80 (FIGS. 9 and 10) maybe provided and may be used alone or in position with a length measuringdevice 82 which fits onto the cutter when required.

The range of models which can be made is expanded if a facility isprovided for joining the straws end-to-end, and this is advantageouslyby socketed joints e.g. the joint 72 of FIG. 8. To form a socket, anexpander device 80′ is provided which has a pair of jaws 82 ofsemi-circular profile pivoted together at 84 and controlled by handles86 biased apart by a spring 88. The jaws 82 are inserted into the openend of a straw 89, after which the handles 86 are moved together bygentle and gradual finger pressure to move the jaws to the position ofFIG. 13 where their largest dimension when viewed in front profile is5.8 mm. Polypropylene exhibits a thixotropic-type behaviour in the sensethat an abrupt movement apart of the jaws is likely to burst the socketas it is formed, whereas a more gradual movement will permnit thepolypropylene to deform and assume a new shape.

For some modelling kits it may be desirable to provide a tool 90 whichcombines the functions of a punch, cutter and stretching device. Forthis purpose, a base 91 is provided which has three parallel inletguides. A first inlet guide 92 leads to the hole punch, a second inletguide 94 leads to the cutter and a third inlet guide 96 leads to anexpander device. The three guides 92, 94 and 96 are of concavesemi-circular shape and are directed parallel to one another. Inalignment with the guide 92 there is formed a slideway 98 for a shuttle38 a and associated distance scale 34 a. A support channel 100 extendsalong the base parallel to the slideway 98 for supporting cut portionsof straw. The length measuring facility of the shuttle 38 a is common tothe punching and cutting operations and for this purpose the shuttle 38a has a lateral extension or ‘wing’ which extends across the channel 100and provides an abutment for positioning a straw in the channels 94, 100prior to cutting. In association with the base unit there is provided acombined punch, cutter and expander unit which demountably clips ontothe base and has a common actuating handle for a punch 103, guillotinecutter 105 and expander 107 whose functions have already been described.

The complexity of the models which can be made depends on the facilitiesemployed, and FIGS. 17(1)-17(6) and 18(1)-18(10) show the range ofpossibilities. These drawings are intended to be supplied with strawsand the tools previously described as modelling kits, and to beunderstandable by children. They therefore do not need detaileddescription here. It will be apparent that models of considerablecomplexity can be produced simply by cutting straws to length andpunching pairs of holes in them. In FIGS. 17(1)-17(6) a model swing usesthese facilities and also takes advantage of the bendable corrugatedregions of two of the straws to shape the seat. In FIGS. 18(1)-18(10)some of the straws are joined end to end by socket joints, andaccessories (in this case wheels) are attached to the model using pinsof the type previously described.

It will be appreciated that the embodiments described above arenonlimiting, and that modifications may be made to them withoutdeparting from the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A construction kit comprising a multiplicity ofstraws; further comprising a punch for punching pairs of transverselyaligned holes at arbitrary locations through said straws; said strawsand said punch permitting a model to be made in which at least some ofsaid straws are joined together with a first straw extending through asecond straw via a pair of said transversely aligned holes at anarbitrary location along said second straw, each of said transverselyaligned holes being surrounded by portions of said second straw and saidfirst straw fitting tightly within said transversely aligned holes insaid second straw.
 2. The kit of claim 1 wherein at least some of saidstraws have bendable corrugated regions.
 3. The kit of claim 1, whereinsaid straws are made of a plastics material.
 4. The kit of claim 1,wherein said straws are made of polypropylene.
 5. The kit of claim 1,wherein said punch comprises a punch member, a die member, and a supportmeans on either side of said punch member and said die member forsupporting flattened surrounding regions of said straws during formationof said transversely aligned holes.
 6. The kit of claim 5, furthercomprising a guide means for locating said straws and guiding saidstraws longitudinally towards said punch.
 7. The kit of claim 6, furthercomprising a bed, a guide means extending along said bed, a slidermovable along said guide means and a means on said slider defining anabutment for longitudinal positioning of said straws relative to saidpunch.
 8. The kit of claim 1, wherein said punch comprises a meansengageable in a first pair of holes formed in a straw for maintaining apredetermined angular position of said straw during the formation of atleast one subsequent pair of holes.
 9. The kit of claim 8, furthercomprising a support in which said engageable means is angularlyrotatable for adjusting the angular position of said straw during theformation of subsequent holes.
 10. The kit of claim 7, furthercomprising a cutter for cutting straws to length.
 11. The kit of claim10, wherein said cutter is provided with a measuring guide.
 12. The kitof claim 1, further comprising an expander for insertion into the endsof said straws and for expansion to form straw-receiving sockets. 13.The kit of claim 12, wherein said punch and/or said cutter is providedwith a guide track, said expander further comprising a pair of jawsdirected parallel to said guide track of said punch and/or said cutter.14. The kit of claim 12, wherein a single machine provides the functionsof punch, cutter and expander, and wherein said machine has an operatinghandle that is common to all of said three functions.
 15. A method formaking a model by joining straws together, including the steps of:providing first and second straws; punching said first straw at anarbitrary position along said first straw with a punch havingsubstantially the same external diameter as said first straw so thatsaid first straw becomes flattened and a first pair of transverselyaligned holes are formed which are separated by undamaged regions of thestraw; allowing said first straw to recover its shape; and passing asecond straw through said first pair of transversely aligned holes insaid first straw to form a joint in which there is frictional resistanceto axial and angular relative movement between said first and secondstraws.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step ofpunching said first straw at an arbitrary position with at least asecond pair of transversely aligned holes and passing at least a thirdstraw through at least said second pair of transversely aligned holes.17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the step of passing amember through said first pair of holes after they have been punched soas to maintain said first straw in a predetermined angular positionduring the punching of said at least second pair of transversely alignedholes.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein said first straw ismaintained in an angular position such that said second pair oftransversely aligned holes is parallel to said first pair of holes. 19.The method of claim 18, wherein said first straw is maintained at anangular position such that said second pair of transversely alignedholes is at a predetermined angle to said first pair of holes.
 20. Themethod of claim 19, wherein said angle is about 30, 45 or 60 degrees.21. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of joining saidstraws longitudinally together by inserting an end of one of said strawstightly into an enlarged socket end of another of said straws.
 22. Themethod of claim 21, further comprising the step of forming said enlargedsocket end by internal pressure applied by an expander tool.
 23. Themethod of claim 15, further comprising the step of fitting at least onedecorative or functional element onto at least one of said straws andholding said decorative or functional element in place by pushing aretaining element into an end of said straw.
 24. The method of claim 23,wherein said decorative or functional element is a wheel or aircraftpropeller.
 25. The method of claim 15, wherein a curved portion of saidmodel is defined by at least one straw or portion thereof having abendable region.
 26. The method of claim 25, wherein at least one ofsaid straws or portions thereof is formed with a pair of holes on oneside of the bendable region.
 27. The method of claim 25, wherein atleast one of said straws or portions thereof is formed with a pair ofholes on either side of the bendable region.
 28. A constructional systemfor making models out of straws, including a punch for punching pairs oftransversely aligned holes through said straws, a cutter for cuttingsaid straws to length, and an expander for expanding ends of said strawsinto receiving sockets.